


I'm Not a Pet, Mate!

by DiamondWings



Series: Bloom, Love [8]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Allies Jeonglix, Desperate times call for desperate measures, Felix is a park ranger, Fox Shifter Jeongin, Happy Ending, Humans are trash, Jeongin is new in the park, M/M, Ranger Felix, So is the weather, Some angst, Tsundere Jeongin, Understanding angel Felix, idk where in the world they are but there's slangs and accents I won't try to place, most of them anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21571228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondWings/pseuds/DiamondWings
Summary: ‘There is one kind of humans you can potentially trust’. It was not a theory Jeongin had expected to have to test out so soon in life.
Relationships: Lee Felix/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Series: Bloom, Love [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553968
Comments: 20
Kudos: 166





	I'm Not a Pet, Mate!

**Author's Note:**

> While young love was definitely one of Felix’ favourites, young love based first and foremost in the platonic love of a friendship, that was special. Objectively, not just in Felix’ opinion.  
> There couldn’t be a sturdier foundation for true love than a true friendship. Especially when the involved parties recognized their friendship as well as their love, and gave both a chance to grow without haste. Felix was amazed at the wisdom his young fae incarnation and his partner already showed; it had taken him centuries to learn that!  
> It put his heart at ease knowing that they were that wise, though. Their love was here to grow and last; and even inspire, if the words of their mothers were any indication. It would be wonderful if their love managed to bring peace to their two species… 
> 
> Felix smiled at his ceiling, feeling light and happy at all the love he was seeing his incarnations find, six wonderful and unique blossoms of true love blooming from their hearts. He truly couldn’t ask for more… But what was that?  
> The surface of the pond rippled again, and Felix’ eyes widened as it focused on yet another scene. Seven blossoms…?

The morning was crisp, the fog of the dawn lingering into the day hours now that Summer was coming to an end and giving way to Fall. It would warm up later, but for now, for the morning round around the reserve, Felix decided the jacket was necessary, shrugging it on before taking his rifle out of the safe in the hallway wardrobe. Everything else he might need out in the forests and meadows of the reserve, he kept in his truck, so all he needed now was… keys, and his morning snack.

He was in a good mood as he stepped into the cool morning, but everything came to a halt before he was even half-way to his truck. He froze, mid-step, when he saw it; the fox. Sitting under the truck, just behind the front wheels, on the passenger-side; the side closest to Felix. And it was staring right at him.

Felix held his breath for a moment, wondering if the fox was simply too startled by his sudden appearance to run away, but as time dragged on he dismissed that possibility.

“Ok, foxy… Please don’t tell me…” Felix muttered under his breath, standing up and taking one quick step in the fox’ direction, accompanied with a shooing “Ksst!”.

The fox didn’t budge, though, and Felix’ heart dropped.

“Shit…” He muttered, slowly inching back. He could only think of one reason why the fox wasn’t running away, wasn’t even flinching when threatened by a human, and he hated it: rabies. There was only one thing he could do in a situation like that, for the fox’ sake as well as that of all the other animals and humans on the reserve, and that was to put the fox out of its misery. Which was exactly what he kept the rifle for, even if he loathed having to use it.

His movements were neither slow nor hasty, yet absolutely precise and silent as he took the rifle from his shoulder, loaded, locked, flipped the safety off and lifted it to eye-level. At this distance, he shouldn’t need the scope, but he figured he’d rather be safe than sorry, not wanting to accidentally shoot his truck’s tire or only wound the fox, so he used it anyway. He didn’t find the fox immediately, looking through the scope, and just as he would have, a small voice broke his focus.

“Please, don’t shoot…!”

Startled, Felix lowered the rifle, just to see a boy sit in front of the truck, arms wrapped around his knees and hiding his head behind them.

“Please, don’t hurt me…”

“What…?!” Felix gasped, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Where had the fox gone? And where did the boy come from all of a sudden?!

“Please… You are my only hope. There are poachers on the reserve. They started down by the dry riverbed, and they are going uphill by the bend that’s still running water. There are cubs in the den over there; if they kill the parents…”

Felix saw red at that, quickly flipping the safety on his rifle back on and shouldering it.

“The bend that’s still running you say? Those fuckers…!” Felix didn’t waste time, jogging over to his truck and ripping open the driver’s door. He set the rifle between the seats and reached for the radio, yet before he could call Park Management, a red blur passed him, jumped over the driver’s seat and settled in the passenger seat, looking at him expectantly. Felix shook his head, focusing on what he was doing and switched the channel to radio Management.

“Morning guys, Felix here. We have poachers on the land, going uphill by the river-bend that’s still running water. Heading out to investigate. Send back-up, I have no idea how many there are.”

As soon as Felix ended the transmission, the line crackled to life with the answer.

“Morning, Lix. Everyone’s out, sending Dave over, he’s closest. Fifteen good?”

“Fifteen’s good. I’ll try to find their cars first.”

“Gotcha. Calling cops and rallying everyone else. Don’t do anything stupid until we’re there, ‘kay?”

“Never, buddy.”

Felix hung the transmitter up on the dash, getting in and starting the truck. He only glanced over to where the fox was sitting on his passenger seat when he was pulling out of his driveway and onto the dirt road.

“So, a shifter, huh…” He mused, not addressing anyone in particular and focusing only on the road.

“You’re taking this remarkably well…” He got an answer a moment later, and he didn’t have to look to know the boy was sitting on the passenger seat now. In fact, he preferred not to look, focusing on the road instead.

“Nope, I’m not. I’m flipping my shit internally, trust me. But I have more important things to do right now that flip shit externally, too.” He admitted, trying to keep his breathing steady and not think, not think, _not think_ …

“They hid their cars in a grove up-stream. They used the dry riverbed so their tires wouldn’t leave tracks.” The boy informed him after a moment. “They went off in that corner over there, where the rocky slope is.

Felix nodded, for some reason trusting the fox-boy without question, and steered his truck down the same way, following the dry riverbed until the boy pointed forward, where hints of a relatively fresh-looking abrasion showed on the banks.

“This is where they went out. Their trucks are just behind those trees.”

Felix nodded again, stopping his truck and getting out. Immediately, the fox was by his side again, and then ahead, showing Felix the way. And truly, behind a few young trees in a small grove stood three trucks, really well hidden in their spots. Felix wasted no time to note down the license plates, but he already knew that that would not help tremendously.

“There are at least ten of them, they all came together…” The boy informed him, and Felix nodded.

“Yeah, I feared something like that. With the plates, we’ll only get three of them, at best. We need to find a way to catch them before they leave the park…”

“Set a trap for them? Let them think you are alone and make them run back to their trucks, and when they try to speed off, chase them where your colleagues are waiting?”

Felix glanced over at the boy, nodding in appreciation.

“Clever! That could work.” And with that, he returned to his truck to radio Management again. As soon as he opened the door, the fox jumped in again, and he had to physically shake his head to focus again.

“I found their trucks. Do you have something to write? I have their plates.”

“Go ahead!”

Felix did, spelling the plate numbers out. “There’s only three trucks, but a ton of people, by the looks of it. They came loaded. If we want to get them all, we’ll have to trap them by the exits. How long until the cops are here?”

“Not long. Five minutes, tops. I’ll tell Dave to play dumb, you chase ‘em out and we’ll wait on the road. Let’s crush some poaches!”

Felix cringed at the cockroach pun, shaking his head as he laughed grimly.

“Let’s. I’m heading to the bend now.”

“Gotcha. Dave will be right behind you.”

Once again, Felix put the transmitter down, getting in the truck to drive down to the river bend. As soon as they got to the road again, the truck of Felix’ colleague, Dave, appeared in the rearview mirrors, and the boy on the passenger seat shifted back to a fox, hopping down into the foot-well, where he cowered.

“You’d be safer as a human when we get to the poachers, you know…” Felix informed him, but it did nothing to convince the fox to shift again and come back out from where he was pressing almost under the passenger seat. “Or you can just stay here, I guess… Whatever. Just make sure you don’t get caught, I don’t want to end up getting accused for catching foxes myself!”

Somehow, the fox managed to shift back into the boy while sitting in the foot-well, still.

“I won’t get caught. But, please don’t tell anyone about me…!”

Felix sighed, but gave the boy a placating look as he slowed down to park by the roadside.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, bud. I don’t need anyone thinking I’m crazy. Or worse, to believe me and try to hunt you down for a research lab!”

With that, he parked the car, and the boy turned back into a fox, cowering under the seat as Felix got out.

“Morning, Dave. How’s backup coming?”

“Backup, backup… We’re on our own, mate. Cops are busy for another half hour at least, Mat and Chris are miles away, bossman’s truck is still missing a tire, and who knows when Pete’s getting up. Shoulda done it like him; this morning sucks!” Dave ranted, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and kicking some dirt off of the tire of his truck.

“Fuck!” Felix exclaimed. “We’re never gonna catch those rats on our own!”

“Lets see if we can at least find their cars. At least that… Have you found tracks yet?”

“Nah. There’s nothing.”

“How’d you even find out about them poaches?”

“Anonymous message. Come on, they gotta be around here somewhere; let’s at least do something!”

Dave grumbled, but they set out into the forest, up the hill just like the fox-boy had told Felix. They made sure to be ‘accidentally’ loud, rounding over the incline towards the part of the river the poachers had used to hide their cars, until they could hear doors clapping in the distance.

“Ok, back, back!” Felix hissed, turning on the spot, and immediately there was no sign of clumsiness from either him or Dave anymore as they sprinted downhill, their steps sure even when they leaped over fallen trees and boulders, running back to their trucks. In no time, they were in the vehicles, chasing down the road to where the poachers had left it.

The poachers had a headstart, and by the time they came close, there was only a cloud of dust at the end of the road to be seen from them, but it didn’t matter; they would run straight into the trap.

“You should hop out now, I don’t think I’ll be able to hide you from my mates once we box those poachers in.” Felix remarked to the fox in the footwell, who climbed onto the seat and shifted back to human.

“Yes. Here, I wrote you that anonymous message you mentioned to your colleague.”

Felix’ eyes widened, and he nodded gratefully as he slowed down by the edge of the road.

“Thank’s. That’s smart; I suck at lying, this is perfect.” He thanked the boy, before he shifted back to the fox. Felix opened his door for mere seconds, and the fox hopped over his lap and disappeared in the underbrush before he could even close the door again and speed off.

He caught up, just in time to close the road with the rest of his mates and box the poachers in. There was no way to escape for them, and all fourteen were put under arrest.

“Good job, Felix! Bet that’s the gang that’s been putting up the traps over by the canyon, too. Dave said you got a message?” Felix’ boss came over, clapping Felix on the back. Felix hummed, fishing the sheet of paper the boy had written on out of his truck.

“’Poachers uphill by the still running riverbend. Trucks upstream, used the dry bed by the rocky slope’… Specific. Where was this?”

“Driver’s seat. I leave the truck unlocked most nights. Could have been anyone.”

His boss shook his head at Felix.

“When will you finally give in and get yourself a dog out there... I swear you’ll be robbed of your panties while wearing them one day!”

Felix huffed.

“Dogs bring unrest into the wildlife. I like to watch the rabbits from my kitchen window and count deer from the couch.”

His boss sighed, clapping Felix on the back again, lightly this time.

“You big ol’ softie… Well, then. You and Dave take a break now after all that running, you can do your rounds in the afternoon. The wildlife is spooked now, anyway.”

Felix didn’t feel that tired, but he wouldn’t say no to the break, and after greeting the rest of his colleagues he set out to drive back home. It wasn’t a long drive back to his house, but it was long enough to get him thinking about the strange events of the morning. For some reason, he wasn’t that surprised - never mind flipping his shit anymore – over the appearance of the fox-shifter. Now, he mostly only regretted not having asked him for his name before he left.

Of course, while on the way home he had no way to know that as soon as he pulled up in front of his house, a fox would come up to him from ‘round back, again.

“You better not have been in my chicken coop!” Was the first thing coming out of Felix’ mouth as he saw the fox, and in an instant the fox was gone and in his place stood the boy from earlier.

“I would never!” He exclaimed, defensively. “I just came to know if you got the poachers, but I wasn’t sure if you’d come back alone…”

Felix chuckled.

“Relax, I was just kidding. Yes, we got them. All fourteen of them.”

The boy’s eyes widened, before he nodded grimly.

“Good. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. Thank _you_ , for the hint and help.”

“Ah…” The boy started, trailing off before he could say anything, and they stood awkwardly in front of the house.

“Actually, uhm…” Felix broke the silence after a moment. “What’s your name?” He should at least ask, that way he wouldn’t have to keep the regret he’d found on the way home.

“Jeongin.” The boy answered, and Felix nodded slowly.

“I’m Felix, but you might have figured that out by now. Well, Jeongin, uh… Do you want to stay for lunch, or…?”

Jeongin hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.

“I’d like that… If it’s not a hassle…”

Felix shook his head, opening his front door and stepping aside to let Jeongin in, before leading the way to the kitchen. There, Jeongin scooted onto the bench in the corner, at the table, while Felix began gathering some ingredients for a quick lunch.

“You look really calm now. No longer freaking out about me being a shifter?” He asked eventually, and Felix shook his head while chopping some onions.

“Strangely, no. Still confused, I guess, but mostly curious.”

Jeongin tilted his head curiously.

“What about?”

Felix shrugged.

“Just, you in general. You seem to shift seamlessly and pretty often. Do you… Where do you live? Here, in the reserve?”

Jeongin nodded.

“I’ve only been shifting often this morning to talk to you. When I’m nervous or scared I tend to shift back to my fox form instinctively, because I’m faster and can defend myself better in that form. Human teeth and nails are pretty useless in that regard, but a fox’s…”

Felix hummed in acknowledgement, focused on the food he was preparing but listening nonetheless.

“Point taken.”

“And yes, I live here in the park. Normally, in fox form. I moved here pretty recently; I was finally old enough to move out of my parent’s territory and ready to find one of my own, and since no other shifter had claimed this territory before… Here I am. The foxes on the hill down by the riverbend don’t mind me, so I moved in next door, basically. There was an empty den and everything, so I took the chance. And everything was just peachy, until those damned poachers showed up and forced me out.”

Felix’ expression dimmed.

“Yeah… They shouldn’t bother you again too soon, though… But tell me, how did you know to come to me for help?”

Jeongin shrugged.

“I don’t know… Just did. You’re a ranger, right? I’ve seen you before, doing your rounds and making sure everything is alright here on this side of the reserve. And you don’t have a dog, so… But, I always thought you rangers were supposed to protect wildlife; you almost shot me this morning, though! And you didn’t even check if I had been in the chicken coop!”

Felix grimaced at that.

“Yeah, about that… Sorry. I thought, judging from your behaviour, that you had rabies. I had no way to know you were a shifter, then.”

“Rabies? Why? And why would you shoot me if I did?”

Felix sighed, focusing on the food for a while.

“You behaved like a fox with rabies. Like, the whole ducking into the shade, fixing but not running - not even flinching! – at a threat, especially a human threat… On a wild animal, those are pretty much dead giveaways for rabies. And there is no cure for that, only a slow and painful death, on the way to which you could bite and infect a bunch of other animals and humans, which could all infect even more, and would face certain death, too… The only thing to do with a rabid animal is to put them down, for their own good as well as that of everyone around them.”

Jeongin flinched, shuddering.

“I was always told that rabies is bad or whatever, but not… Why did no one ever tell me that was what rabid animals behaved like? I could have died today because of that!”

Felix shrugged, stirring the food he was making before turning the stove down to let it simmer for a while.

“No idea. But I sure am glad I didn’t end up shooting you.”

“Yeah, me too... Anything else I should know about rabies? What other behaviour should I avoid around humans?”

“As a rule, you should avoid humans in general.” Felix deadpanned, pulling out a chair at the table, and Jeongin gave him a blank stare.

“Ok, other behaviour… Rabies would make you light sensitive, so avoiding light is a strong hint. Also, avoiding water and reflective surfaces… Rabies really is a shitshow, it’ll make you thirsty as hell, and at the same time deathly afraid of water. So yeah, shying away from water, or windows and mirrors and things like that, that’s highly suspicious. In general, pretty much any behaviour that involves approaching a human who’s not familiar with you in the form of a wild animal is almost a dead giveaway for rabies, under normal circumstances. If you need to go near humans, the best is to do it in human form.”

Jeongin shuddered at the mere thought.

“Humans make me nervous, though… And when I’m nervous, I shift. So…”

“Understandable. But shifting in front of a human… That might not get you shot, but hunted down and shipped off into a research lab instead. Best for you would be to just avoid humans in general.”

“I’m starting to feel the same… How come you aren’t threatening to ship me off to a research lab, though?”

“One out of ten stars on the holiday-app, I don’t think that’s a place to recommend to anyone.” Felix deadpanned, waving it off when Jeongin just gave him a puzzled look. “I’m just kidding. I don’t think you should end up as a test subject just because you are different and kind of freaked me out this morning. Not to mention that I doubt that whatever they could possibly find in you would be used for anything good and useful. Oh, the rice is done!”

Felix jumped up, serving lunch a moment later. They didn’t talk much as they ate, and in the end, Jeongin thanked him for the meal, again for the help with the poachers, and decided to bid Felix goodbye.

“Bye, Jeongin. It was nice meeting you. And if you ever need help with some poachers again… Or anything else… You know where to find me.” Felix offered as Jeongin hopped down the steps from the porch. “Just stay out of the chicken coop!” Felix called after him, and Jeongin turned around indignantly, just for Felix to wink at him with a teasing grin.

Jeongin snapped his mouth back shut, refraining from saying what was already on his tongue, and pouted instead. He shifted back into his fox form, but Felix would have sworn he could still see him pouting, until he turned around and stalked off, tail raised haughtily as he vanished in the tall, dry grass at the edge of the clearing.

Felix felt almost lonely after he left, but only almost. He was used to this quiet life, he had chosen it for a reason, he reminded himself. And really, normally he tended to avoid contact with other humans as much as possible. But… Since Jeongin wasn’t exactly human, maybe that made all the difference.

***

Felix didn’t see Jeongin again for a while, and in the meantime, Summer fully gave way to Fall. The forest changed, the leaves turned yellow and red and brown and covered the forest ground under a thick, crunchy duvet. Heavy rainfalls in the mountains filled the river, and seemingly every day Felix found another road or path that was blocked by overflowing drains that were clogged with leaves or small mud-slides. He had a lot to do outside, which he loved, but he was also not unhappy when a sudden shower nearing nightfall gave him an excuse to pack up his work early and return to in front of his fireplace.

More problematic were the heavy rainfalls, the ones that brought down too much water for the ground to soak up at once, and the resulting rivulets and rivers where there was no bed for them knocked down stones and loose soil, causing bigger landslides.

Two days, was how long it had taken Felix and his colleagues to get all the roads and paths passable again after the first major rainfall; and Felix could already tell, as he lay in bed at night and heard the rain on the roof, that this one would bring another wealth of work for them with it.

He was fully prepared for the work that would await him in the morning, but he was not prepared to see a red fox running up to his porch when he opened the door.

“Jeongin?” Was his first question, and as soon as the fox jumped up the steps, he shifted to the human Felix hadn’t seen in over six weeks.

“Hey! Can you come help? The river rose over night and caused a part of the banks to collapse, tore a tree down, and now it’s blocking the last of the entrances of the burrow from the otters. There are at least three of them trapped in there!” Jeongin informed Felix, rapid-fire style.

Felix didn’t even question it, quickly checking that his chain-saw had enough fuel and getting in the car.

“Lead the way?”

Jeongin actually opened the passenger door and sat in the seat in human form, rather than shifting and jumping over Felix’ lap. Not that Felix complained, he could live without wet paw-prints on his thighs, at least for now. Later on, his pants would most likely be soaked anyway.

Jeongin directed Felix down to the river, and Felix soon saw the problem. A whole part of the bank had broken away with the rise of the water levels, and he could see two of the otters diving frantically between the branches of the tree in the shallow water there.

Felix resigned himself to getting wet and cold feet right away, getting his chainsaw and making his way into the murky waters. If he could only cut some of the bigger branches, the trunk should come free and it’s weight tear the rest of the tree away from the burrow, he mused to himself, before approaching the tree with purpose.

Immediately, he caught the attention of the otters, who weren’t pleased at all about having Felix there, chattering indignantly. Felix couldn’t pay them any mind, though, having to approach the tree, and the otters decided that was close enough. Felix hissed when the first of them bit his leg, even though the thick fabric of his work attire kept the teeth from piercing his skin. It still hurt, and he kicked the otter off reflexively. That gave him a small reprieve, the reprieve he needed to get the saw going, and the noise startled the otters further off for a moment. Two of the major branches fell quickly, but as he started cutting at the third, he came too close to the burrow, and the otters attacked again; one even managed to bite Felix’ hand, or rather, wrist, right where his work-gloves ended.

“Ouch, fucking- I’m trying to help you, you little devil!” Felix cursed, shoving the otter off again, and the other, which had taken to bite at his feet under water, too. Again, he used the small reprieve to cut away at the tree, and with a loud crack, the branch gave. As predicted, without the stability or the crown, the trunk sank deeper into the water, and started turning in the current. Felix hurried out of the water, not wanting the remaining branches to sweep his feet out from under him and possibly drag him deeper into the river. Instead, he watched from the safety of the bank as the water dragged the tree with it, into the middle of the river, and away from the burrow of the otters.

“There! They are free!” Jeongin exclaimed next to Felix suddenly, and really, five otters dove wildly around each other in the shallows where the tree had just been.

“Nice! Wait, what’s with that look?” Felix broke off, wondering as he noticed Jeongin’s worried expression.

“You’re hurt…!” The shifter pointed out, then, staring at Felix’ wrist. Felix checked, and really, the otter had managed to draw some blood.

“You need to check that, quickly. Otter teeth aren’t exactly clean…”

Felix snorted, turning to go back to the car.

“You don’t say! You mean to tell me they don’t brush their teeth at least twice a day?”

“Not really, no. Do you need help? Can I carry that for you?” Jeongin indicated the saw, and Felix nodded, handing it over, before inspecting the wound carefully as he walked. It was mostly just a bruise, but some of the otter’s pointy teeth had pierced deeper and drawn blood. It looked worse than it was, but Felix agreed, he needed to disinfect that. And that was exactly what he did as soon as he reached his truck and with it, the first aid kit.

“How did you know about the otters, and why did you think to come get me for them, actually? I mean, if they were other foxes, I’d get it, but otters?” Felix couldn’t help but wonder, and he forced himself to use the question as distraction from the pain as he cleaned the wounds.

“I might be a fox, but I’m also human, and… I just felt bad for the otters. I didn’t want them to drown in there, but I couldn’t do much myself. So, I went to get you.” Jeongin explained, and Felix hummed through clenched teeth.

“Well… Thank you. Those otters are a critically endangered species, and losing those three would have hurt. It’s bad enough that they lost their burrow and will have to spend valuable time to dig a new one now…”

Jeongin nodded along pensively, watching Felix wrap his wrist in gauze before putting the first aid kit away again.

“What about you? Do you have a warm and dry place to sleep in for the winter?” Felix asked then, suddenly, and Jeongin startled a little.

“What? No- Wait… Well. Mostly, but yes.”

Felix nodded slowly.

“Are you finding enough food, too? And even if you do, would you still accept an invitation for lunch?”

Jeongin’s eyes lit up, and before Felix could blink, he’d shifted into a fox and hopped into the truck, sitting on the passenger seat in human form again.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

***

From that day on, Felix saw Jeongin more often. On many of his patrols, the fox shifter came strolling over at some point, sometimes staying in his fox form, but most often shifting to his human form for at least a little bit to chat with Felix. He pointed out things that needed Felix’ intervention in his assigned area of the reserve without Felix having to check it all by himself, making his work easier sometimes, and sometimes helped him with the clean-up or fixing.

Felix enjoyed the companionship, and learned more about the shifter, his life before he’d come to the reserve, his life as a fox, and his life as human, however little that was, as Jeongin opened up more and more to him over time.

One morning, Felix wasn’t even fully awake yet when frantic knocking sounded on his front door, and he stumbled out still in a half daze. Jeongin stood on his porch, looking frazzled and incredibly worried.

“One of the foxes from the den by the riverbend got stuck in a trap and I can’t get her out! She’s hurt and won’t let me near!” He rushed out as soon as Felix opened the door, immediately shifting into his fox form and taking to running around Felix, urging him to his car.

“W-what- Jeongin, hold on-”

Jeongin didn’t hold on, and Felix had no choice but to give in and go to his truck, Jeongin hopping in with him and shifting only to tell him where to go, standing with his front paws on the dash the rest of the time.

Felix drove them quietly, until Jeongin declared they were there and jumped out of the truck. Felix sighed, pocketing his portable radio. If the fox didn’t let Jeongin near her, there was even less of a chance that she would let Felix come close. Still, he needed to know where she was, before…

He got out and followed the shifter, until they found a space under a fallen tree where a wire-trap had been placed and was now holding a small fox female trapped, the wire already digging deep into her skin.

“Jeongin, don’t try to get closer. She’ll just hurt herself more when she tries to struggle free.”

Jeongin gave him an anxious look.

“But, we have to help her!”

Felix nodded.

“And we will.”

He pulled his radio out, synching it to call Park Management.

“Morning guys, it’s Felix. I have a situation here…”

“’Sup, Felix?”

“Young female fox in a wire trap. Has been for a bit, it’s tight and she’s hurt. Still struggling too much for me to help her, though. Call the vet?”

“Vet’s already on the way, Steve found an owl in front of his windows and needs it checked up. I’ll send her round yours first. You near your truck?”

“Yeah, radio’s on, give her the coordinates. I’ll wait here.”

Felix cut the transmission, pocketing his handheld transmitter, just to find Jeongin give him a look of profound betrayal.

“I thought you were going to help her!” He accused Felix venomously.

“I am, Jeongin. I can’t go there and free her without her hurting herself more, though. And even if I free her, she’s already hurt enough that she won’t be doing well on her own.”

“She’d still be better off than with humans, though!” Jeongin spat, and Felix felt the accusation cut deeply.

“The vet will help her, Jeongin. She’ll get her out of the trap without her getting hurt more, and take care of her wounds until they are healed properly. And then she can come back and run free again with her family, I promise.”

Jeongin didn’t listen, though, shaking his head with tears brimming in his eyes.

“That’s what they say they’ll do, but that’s never what they do in the end! I trusted you! I trusted you to help her, and you- You-” He shook his head, shifting into a fox and turning away from Felix. He barked sadly one last time at the fox in the trap, and then ran off into the forest.

Felix sighed sadly, returning to his truck to wait for the vet. He didn’t have to wait for long, and the vet quickly tranquilized the trapped fox, Felix helping her cut her free and taking the wire trap so no other animal could get hurt in it, while the vet took the injured fox.

***

Felix didn’t see Jeongin again, though he had a feeling the fox watched him sometimes. Still, it was lonely without Jeongin joining him, and Felix felt the days drag on, until he finally got a call from the vet, announcing that the small female fox was all healed and could be released into the wild again. Felix wanted to be there for the event, and he made sure to show the vet to the center of the fox’s territory to release her. It was a short affair, the small female only needing a few seconds of sniffing to recognize where she was, before she darted off into the underbrush.

Felix was glad that the fox was all healed again, and according to the vet didn’t carry any lasting damage from her time in the trap; and if the price to pay for that was his friendship with Jeongin, well, Felix might be sad about it, but he could live with it.

Maybe he didn’t have to, though, since the very next morning, when he stepped out of his front door, he found a red fox sitting on his porch.

“Jeongin?” Felix couldn’t keep the hopeful note out of his voice, and the next moment the boy was standing in front of him.

“You kept your promise.” He remarked, and Felix nodded slowly. “I didn’t think you would. But… Thank you. For keeping your promise. And sorry, for doubting you.”

“It’s… It’s ok, Jeongin.”

Jeongin swallowed thickly, his eyes darting around on the porch for a moment before finding Felix again.

“Can I join you again? On your trips?”

A small smile broke out onto Felix’ lips.

“Of course, you can. I’d love that.”

And that was exactly what Jeongin did, more so even than before. Often, Jeongin was already waiting for Felix when he stepped out of the house in the morning, and on many a day he joined Felix for lunch, not parting from him between the morning and afternoon rounds around the reserve. Sometimes, he joined Felix in his truck only when Felix passed near his den on his way out, after Jeongin had showed him where it was: under the roots of a tree that stood just on the edge of the slope that had been cut out of the mountain to build one of the smaller roads through the park, literally neighboring the center of the territory of the foxes by the riverbend.

As Fall progressed and neared Winter, the rainfalls became more frequent and heavier, too, and Jeongin often complained about it to Felix. With the heavy rain, the ground soaked through, and even under the big old tree, Jeongin’s den was leaky and got moist at times. Jeongin often took the invitation to warm up in front of Felix’ fireplace before heading back to his den for the night. Eventually, Felix even showed him where he kept the spare keys, so Jeongin could let himself in in the morning to warm up before they headed out for the day, too. Jeongin refused to stay the night, though, claiming that he was a fox, and he could and would spend the nights in his own home.

Felix didn’t insist. Jeongin was a grown fox, and an adult by the human law of his country, too, and had the right to choose what he wanted to do with his life. Still, on nights where it rained non-stop, stormed, too, and the weather was just generally unpleasant, Felix wished he wouldn’t be as stubborn; especially because he already knew that come morning, the first thing he would hear was Jeongin complaining about how leaky his den was, how much he hated mud clumping in his fur and how wet fur didn’t conserve enough warmth.

Despite not exactly missing the complaints, Felix was still concerned when he didn’t find Jeongin already in front of the fireplace when he got up in the morning after one such night, nor did he find him waiting on the porch. Still, it was unusual, yes, but not unheard of, after all, and he decided to drive down to Jeongin’s den to see if he could find the shifter there.

His heart nearly stopped, though, when he rounded the corner and found the road just below Jeongin’s den blocked. Large amounts of earth, turned to mud, interspersed with rocks blocked the road, a large tree peeking out between the rubble; Jeongin’s tree, the tree his den was – had been – under.

“No!” Felix couldn’t believe it, couldn’t accept it, but when he looked up the slope, the place where the tree had been, and Jeongin’s den with it, was empty, a large hole with a sharp edge taking it’s place. Felix stood helplessly at the edge of the rubble, frantically debating what to do. Should he call Park Management? They’d send over heavy machinery to clean up the road, but… What if Jeongin was somewhere in there? The machines would kill him for sure, they would never find him. Rescue dogs… They might find the fox, but how would Felix explain that? And then he’d have to take Jeongin to a vet, and if he shifted there… The same went for if he found him in human form, but nervousness forced him to shift back to fox…

He couldn’t get help, he had to find Jeongin himself. But where to even start, in this rubble? There was so much, and there was no way the den had survived the slide… But maybe, maybe Jeongin was still somewhere between the roots of the tree. It was his best bet to find the shifter, and he climbed over the piles of mud and rocks towards the tree in the middle, fighting his way to where the roots stuck out of the pile.

“Jeongin? Jeongin, can you hear me? If you can hear me, please let me know! Say something, bark… Something, anything!” Felix called, starting to dig, removing clumps of earth and slabs of rock, dry wood and broken branches to get to the center of the ball of roots, where the den had been, right under the tree.

He worked tirelessly, determinedly, fighting of fatigue and ignoring the light drizzle of rain as he dug, and soon he looked almost indistinguishable from the clumps of earth around him, covered in mud from head to toe. Not that he cared, the only goal in his mind to find the shifter.

And really, eventually, after what felt like hours, his cold and stiff fingers touched something that felt like fur. Wet and caked with mud, but fur nonetheless. Adrenaline spiked once again, and Felix dug with new vigor, quickly removing earth and roots to uncover more fur, and eventually, a whole body; small and limp, soaked through and undistinguishable in colour from the mud around it, but definitely a fox.

“Jeongin… Jeongin!” Felix nearly cried, stroking the fur frantically, looking for injuries, for warmth, for a heartbeat- and he found one. Weak and feeble, but still there. “Oh, Jeongin!” Now, the tears flowed for real, and Felix gathered the small body into his arms with all the gentleness in the world, tucking him into his coat, where it was warmest, before stumbling out of the rubble as fast as he could and back to his truck.

On the way home, he radioed his boss, informing him about the landslide, and that he would take the rest of the day off due to a personal emergency. His boss didn’t question him, accepting it, and Felix was grateful for it.

As soon as he got home, his first goal was to warm Jeongin up. He was still unconscious, but the little warmth Felix had been able to transmit to him through his body had already helped him, and his heart was beating a little steadier. So, Felix ran him a bath, washing him until there was no mud left in his fur, and toweled him dry as gently as humanly possible in front of the fireplace, which he stoked to a near infernal blaze. Anything to get some warmth back into Jeongin, though.

When he was finally dry, he wrapped him in blankets, the warmest and fluffiest he had, leaving him in a nest of pillows by the fire, before starting on a hot broth the fox would be able to eat in either form once he woke up. And he did wake up, much to Felix’ relief, but he showed no signs of wanting to leave his cocoon of blankets or the spot he found himself in.

“Jeonginnie?” Felix called gently, and the fox blinked up at him questioningly. Felix approached him carefully, extending a hand to him slowly for him to sniff in case he didn’t recognize him immediately. He didn’t need to worry, though, as Jeongin nudged his head against Felix’ hand immediately, nuzzling it and leaning into the touch.

“Hey there… You’re awake. You gave me quite the scare! Are you ok? I couldn’t see any wounds, but…” Felix asked, but Jeongin only pressed harder against his palm, before settling his head back on his paws and closing his eyes.

“You want to go back to sleep? You sure you don’t want to eat anything first?”

At that, the fox opened his eyes again, looking at Felix with interest, but didn’t move. Felix got the message, bringing him a bowl of the chicken broth he’d made, and Jeongin ate contently in his nest of blankets, before falling asleep again.

Felix stayed close by, keeping the room warm and an eye on the fox, who eventually kicked the blankets off in his sleep. He didn’t get up or made any move to leave the spot, though, nor did he shift. Felix made sure to feed him, brought him water and watched over him, but Jeongin remained in his place, though demanded pets and Felix’ presence closer by from time to time.

He stayed in his fox form all morning the next day, too, but Felix had to leave eventually to make his rounds around the reserve, and had to leave Jeongin alone. When he came back for lunch, it was apparent that the fox had moved in the meantime, had probably been to the toilet, and the food Felix had set out was gone, too, but he was fast asleep in fox form in front of the fireplace again.

When Felix stepped closer, petting his head gently, he woke up with a big yawn, though.

“Hey, there. Want to get up for lunch?”

Jeongin tilted his head in interest, stretching in his spot, but didn’t move to get up. And so, Felix brought him food over once more, pampering him where he was before leaving for his afternoon duties.

Jeongin didn’t shift for two more days, but on the third, Felix found him sitting curled up on the couch in the morning.

“Oh, good morning. How are you?” He asked as he stepped into the living room, and Jeongin looked up, giving him a smile that melted Felix’ heart. He’d missed that smile, so, so much!

“Better. Thank you.”

Felix sighed in relief, sitting down next to him, and much like Jeongin did when he was in his fox form with his hand, he now curled up against Felix in his human form.

“You really, really scared me. Did you get hurt much? I couldn’t find anything…”

Jeongin hummed, gently leaning his head on Felix’ shoulder.

“Felt as if a bulldozer had pushed me off a cliff, together with my den… But… The roots of that tree kept me pretty safe, right until the end. I tried to get out when everything collapsed, but I didn’t know where up and down was, and there was just too much dirt, and roots and everything… I tried, but it was so cold and dark and wet and I wasn’t getting anywhere, until I didn’t have any strength left eventually and I guess I ended up passing out. I only hoped you would find me, eventually. And you did. Thank you.”

Felix’ heart stuttered at that confession of unwavering trust, and he wrapped his arms around the shifter gently, holding him close. He didn’t say it, didn’t even acknowledge it to himself, but they both knew what Felix was feeling implicitly: for a while there, he’d thought he’d lost Jeongin, and it had nearly broken him. Now, he found it hard to let go of him again. But he had to.

“I have to go out and see that everything is alright in the park. You can stay here, though. There’s food in the kitchen, just serve yourself. Actually, you know where everything is by now…”

Jeongin did, and he gladly accepted being able to stay in, not having to go out into the murky early Winter weather.

***

More rain and heavy winds wreaked havoc on the reserve again, and Felix only found a short time to come in for lunch and warm up, and by the time he returned at night, soaked and exhausted, all he wanted was to sleep. He tried, for a short time, and failed, to stay awake with Jeongin in the living room, but eventually fell asleep on the couch.

When he woke up in the middle of the night, he found a weight on his chest; not very heavy, but there all the same, and his searching hands found fur eventually. He sighed quietly to himself; with a sleeping fox on his chest, he couldn’t very well get up now, now could he… One night on the couch wouldn’t kill him, anyway, so he might as well stay where he was... The thought hadn’t finished forming in his head yet before he was already asleep again.

The next morning was surprisingly bright, and he woke up relatively early; the fox on his chest, didn’t, though, so he decided he couldn’t move just yet. It was tempting, though, so tempting, the soft fur so close to his fingers, and he started petting the wealth of red softness, gently, slowly.

The fox woke up eventually, stretching where he lay, and pressing into his petting hand, until he froze suddenly and jumped to the ground. In the blink of an eye, Jeongin was sitting on the floor in his human form, sporting a mighty pout on his lips.

“I’m not a pet…” He grouched, as Felix sat up, too.

“That’s quite obvious.”

“Why were you petting me, then?”

Felix gave him a droll stare.

“You never complained before. In fact, I remember you even _demanding_ pets while you were camping out in front of the fireplace…”

Jeongin turned his head away, avoiding Felix’ gaze.

“That was different…” He muttered, and Felix could see his ears turning red. Before his blush could become too obvious, though, Jeongin shifted back into his fox form and left the room haughtily. Felix left him to it, going to make breakfast instead.

As soon as the smell of cooked eggs, toasted bread, and other delicacies wafted through the house, Jeongin returned, though, pretending nothing had ever happened.

“I have to find a new den.” He declared after eating, and Felix nodded slowly.

“Right… Good luck. But… just in case, and until you do find one… You’re free to spend the nights here. Or the days. Whatever you prefer. You know where the spare key is.”

Jeongin nodded, and they parted after breakfast, each going for their own rounds around the reserve. Felix didn’t see Jeongin for lunch, but he was back at night.

“All the obvious burrows are already taken. Badgers, racoons, foxes, weasels, even a wolverine. There’s one den that’s free up on the peak over the tree-line, but it’s so cold up there… And all the other free ones I know of are in horrible states, and with how soaked the ground is, it’s near impossible to fix them.” He complained after taking a long, hot shower.

“Maye you’ll be luckier tomorrow…” Felix offered weakly, and Jeongin huffed, shivering.

“I’m cold… Can I sit on the couch?”

Felix moved over, making room, and in the next moment a fox was curled up next to him, back pressing against his leg. Felix didn’t say anything, not even when the fox nudged his hand, repeatedly, until he started scratching him behind his ears. Neither mentioned it, not that night, not the next morning, not ever.

***

Jeongin insisted on going out to find a new den every day without fail, and every evening, he came back with bad news, snuggling up on the couch next to Felix after grumbling about one reason or another of why he hadn’t found a den. Felix chose not to comment, simply feeding him dinner and letting him curl up on the couch with him; and after a while, starting to scratch behind his ears, under his chin, pet his back and scratch that one spot on his back, at the base of his tail…

Neither commented on that, though Jeongin once suddenly jumped up and darted off, sleeping somewhere in the house where Felix didn’t find him, when he’d gotten so into it he’d rolled onto his back and let Felix give him belly-rubs. It was a one-time thing, and it was never commented on, either.

Eventually, Jeongin stopped claiming he went out to find a den, and stopped telling Felix excuses why he hadn’t found one. And eventually, he started joining Felix at some point during his excursions outside again, parting from him for a while sometimes but crossing paths with him at some point during the day. He helped Felix monitor the reserve, what needed to be done, where problems had arisen, and he was a valuable help.

Still, the days in the winter were short, and the nights long, and most of the time was spent cozied up in Felix’ home, in front of the fireplace. When they went to sleep at night, at some point, Jeongin migrated to the bedroom with Felix, sleeping curled up as a fox on the bed, and that, too, was not commented on. Still, both treasured those sleepy moments in the morning where Jeongin would cuddle up against Felix, Felix petting him gently but a bit clumsily…

***

Amidst that routine of theirs, Winter passed, and Spring came. The days grew longer, the weather got warmer, the snow melted for good and a green shimmer grew into a wealth of new leaves, birds returned, and all kinds of critters woke up, until the forest looked and sounded alive and thriving once more.

Jeongin didn’t move out, though. Instead, he stayed in his human form more often and for longer, and seemed to learn to accept his cuddlier side most of the time.

Felix had no complaints whatsoever. Jeongin was cute as a fox, but he was infinitely cuter as a man, and he quite enjoyed being cuddled back by him. He was also a valuable help around the house and on the reserve, both as a human and as a fox; though he most often preferred to stay in his fox form out on the reserve, and as a human at home.

In that newfound form of domestic bliss, Spring drew to an end as well, and Felix had fully accepted Jeongin as a constant in his life, despite the sometimes day-long excursions he took alone from time to time, even if most of the time, he was right there by his side.

Therefore, it didn’t come as a shock to him when Jeongin wasn’t back in time for lunch, but it definitely came as a shock for him when he stepped out of the house after lunch to find Jeongin limping up the driveway in his human form, scratched and bruised and bleeding, and crying silently.

“Jeongin?!” Felix exclaimed with a cry, flying down the steps of the porch to meet him half-way.

“Innie, what happened?!”

Jeongin swallowed thickly, but his tears started flowing faster, and Felix gathered him in a gentle embrace.

“Innie, love, shh… What’s wrong? What happened to you?”

Jeongin drew a shaky breath, remaining quiet for a moment, before pulling out of the hug.

“I… I have to leave…” He stated with a broken voice.

“What?! No, you don’t! Who said that?! What happened? Innie, please tell me!”

Jeongin stayed quiet, though, but he allowed Felix to follow him and help him treat his cuts and scratches, many of which looked suspiciously like bite-marks.

“There’s another shifter in the reserve… And he’s stronger than I am. I lost.” Jeongin admitted with a quiet voice anymore, and Felix had to make sure he gripped something else, not Jeongin, as his hands balled into fists.

“You were here, first, though. This is your territory!”

Jeongin shrugged, though.

“But he is stronger…”

Felix set the bottle of disinfectant he was holding down with way more force than necessary, glaring at Jeongin through the mirror over the sink, across from them.

“But you’re not alone. And this is _your_ territory. And mine. And I’m not going to let some random ass shifter take that from you; from us!” He nearly growled, and Jeongin’s eyes widened, surprised by that sudden attitude of the otherwise so easy-going ranger.

“Felix, you… You can’t fight him…”

“Like hell, I can’t! I can, and I will, if I have to! He’s not kicking you out, not on my watch; that’s for sure!”

Jeongin sighed, closing his eyes, and leaning back against Felix.

“You shouldn’t fight him… You can’t shift, you’re at a disadvantage…”

“Or not… I can hold my own, trust me. Even against a shifter…” Felix grumbled, but he was already softening because of the vulnerable way in which Jeongin leaned against him, and he ran his fingers soothingly through the shifter’s hair. Jeongin sighed.

“I don’t want to leave. I really don’t want to leave. I love it here. I love the park, I love the forest, the mountains, the river… I love being here with you, I love… I love _you_ , and I really, really don’t-… don’t want to leave _you_ ….” He admitted eventually, turning to hide his face against Felix, who held him close.

“You won’t have to. You won’t. If you don’t want to leave, I won’t allow for anyone to make you. I love you, too, and I’ll fight that other guy with you, Innie, by your side. He’s not going to make you leave.”

Despite not really believing Felix’ words, not really believing that he would really be able to make sure he didn’t have to leave despite the other fox-shifter being stronger than him, Jeongin relaxed. He wanted to believe Felix, after all, and maybe… Maybe there was a chance…

***

Jeongin stuck close to Felix’ side from then on, never straying far away from him when they made their way through the reserve and not leaving on his own anymore.

It didn’t take long before Jeongin found the other shifter again, though, and promptly challenged him, feeling much more confident knowing Felix would be there within minutes after he heard their growls and barks.

The other shifter accepted the challenge Jeongin presented confidently at first, but halted when Felix appeared behind Jeongin. Instantly, Jeongin shifted back to human, confusing the other shifter even more. Only for a moment, though, before he shifted, too, glaring at the couple.

“You could have told me you shared this territory with your mate!” The intruding shifter griped, and Jeongin scoffed.

“If I remember correctly, you weren’t exactly keen on listening last time, or I _would_ have told you!”

The other shifter shook his head, backing away.

“I’m going. I’ll leave. I’m not fighting both of you.” And with just that, he shifted, giving them wary looks before slinking off in a quick trot.

“That was… unspectacular.” Felix remarked when the fox was out of sight, and Jeongin dropped his aggressive stance, leaning against him, and Felix passed an arm around the shifter in a half-hug.

“I don’t mind unspectacular… I’m still nursing the bruises from last time…”

Felix hummed, agreeing silently, before squeezing Jeongin shortly and releasing him again.

“What did he mean, though, that you shared this territory with your mate?”

Immediately, Jeongin took a step back, blushing as he spluttered, and Felix recognized the look on his face, holding him back by the wrist.

“Nuh-uh, no shifting to hide it from me! What did it mean? Tell me…!”

Jeongin avoided his gaze, looking everywhere but at Felix, but he didn’t attempt to shift, even though his face slowly colored a deeper shade of red than his fur coat usually was.

Felix couldn’t help it, dropping his façade to pull Jeongin in for another hug.

“Cute…!” he whispered, brushing a soft kiss against Jeongin’s cheek; and if it had been possible, Jeongin would have blushed even deeper.

It might not have been possible for Jeongin to blush any more, but the small kiss gave Jeongin a surge of confidence he normally never felt, and he was able to face Felix again, at least, his gaze meeting Felix’.

“Can I… Can I get a real kiss?”

Felix’ smile grew.

“I thought you’d never ask…!”

And with that, he leaned in and caught Jeongin’s lips in a real kiss, one the shifter reciprocated all too happily. Felix pulled back soon, though.

“You haven’t told me what it means, yet, that I’m your mate.”

Jeongin frowned, studying Felix’ expression carefully, until he noticed the teasing glint in his eyes.

“If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m going to take it back…” He growled, making to step back and away from Felix, but Felix quickly caught him again, pulling him back in with a laugh. And it wasn’t like Jeongin minded… too much. He growled, just for good measure, but quickly dropped the act when Felix kissed him again. Maybe he would yet let Felix tame him, after all…


End file.
